Transfer News: Saul Niguez likely to return to Atletico Madrid after Chelsea loan spell
Saul Niguez is likely to return to Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window following his loan spell at Chelsea, says his brother Aaron Niguez. The midfielder has endured a mixed time at Stamford Bridge so far, having been in and out of the team due to various reasons.
The Blues had signed Saul from Atletico temporarily last summer for a loan fee of £3.4million. The deal also included a £30million optional clause that the English side could activate to complete a permanent transfer. However, it appears that the buy option may not be triggered following the latest update.
Speaking to Spanish radio station SER Deportivo as quoted by TEAMtalk (h/t Football.London), Aaron has suggested that his brother Saul would probably return to Wanda Metropolitano at the end of this term. He also added that there are no other updates at this time to his knowledge.
“In principle, as far as I know, yes, he has a loan. I have no other news. He has a contract with Atleti and I have no other news. If he wants to? Come on… He is Atlético and everything that isn’t Atlético sounds strange to him. I don’t think he’s ever left 100% of Atlético Madrid. It’s my feeling and my opinion.”
Best for all parties?
Saul has suffered quite a difficult time over the past few months, as minutes have been hard to come by for the midfielder. There was a time when one thought that the 27-year-old finally overcame his struggles from the start of the campaign. But that was not the case, and the current outcome is the end result.
As such, it is best for the Spaniard to return to Atelti after this term. After all, the lack of game time also came at a time when the likes of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante have struggled with their form at times. Moreover, Mateo Kovacic was also on the receiving end of several injury issues during that spell, and has suffered another setback after a fitness issue against Leeds United yesterday.
If Saul failed to get into the team in such circumstances, then it would not make sense for us to activate the buy option. Moreover, Ross Barkley has been in a similar boat to him, which shows how dire the Atletico loanee’s situation has been at the Bridge.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has made quite an impact over the past few months, and he could be in line to enjoy more prominence in the future. Conor Gallagher is in line to join us this summer, and the Crystal Palace’s Player of the Season has warranted enough to earn a spot under Thomas Tuchel.
More Chelsea News
- Chelsea star Mateo Kovacic could miss the FA Cup Final against Liverpool due to an injury
- Chelsea is considering a double transfer with Barcelona this summer involving Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso
- West Ham United make a lucrative new contract offer to Chelsea target Declan Rice
In such a case, Saul’s likely return would not hurt us at all especially considering how the amount required to buy him permanently could be used to solve our issues in defence, for example.